A 'Round the Clock Doll Wardrobe Made From Socks

1963© Marguerite Kelly Holmes

Marguerite Kelly Holmes must have been an interesting person. In 1950 she and her husband published a book titled Play By Ear; A Music Course for Everyone. But it is her A 'Round The Clock Wardrobe patterns for Barbie dolls that made her name in the world of sewing patterns. But wait!! These are NO-SEW patterns. In fact, not only are these garments glued together, they are constructed from socks!! What a fantastic up-cycle re-fashioning project. Use those crazy striped and argyle socks destined for the rag bin for these fabulous Barbie doll fashions. Easy enough for young people to make and it may even imbue them with a lasting sewing bug. There were several patterns issued in the 1960s. Many are available as original patterns, printed on a single large sheet, or as downloads. The Vintage Pattern Marketplace vendors are offering this one for free to get you started.  Download this pattern here.

Facings - A Primer for Finishing

Perhaps dread is too strong of a term but when it comes to facings, avoidance is usually the route many a seamstress take. In reality, facings do not have to be such a hurdle and the difference between a faced neckline or armhole and one that is folded over and stitched is like night and day. Take pride in your garment by seeing to the details all the way to the end. You will wear your garment proudly. 

A Primer for Facings

Print this easy to follow primer (Download Here) and keep it in your sewing area as a reference.

Free Pattern - Easy Baby Bibs From Finger Tip Towels

Easy Bibs From Finger Tip Towels

Baby bibs are easy to make with finger tip towels. Think of the towel as your canvas and applique with some creative scrap-busting to make them gender or holiday specific. Or leave them plain with just a bit of neckline binding for grandpa. 

However you choose to decorate, you can't lose with these easy to make baby bibs. Download instructions HERE.

Free Pattern - Fabric Flowers to Make from Scraps

Easy to Make Fabric Flowers

Fabric flowers have long been used to decorate hats and bags or for boutonnieres for the tuxedo lapel. Indeed, the realism of some of the silk flowers available today will astonish you. No longer are we confined to carry fragile, just picked flowers in wedding bouquets that wilt before that lucky catch at the end of the evening.

Today's download has instructions to make a fabric flower for every month of the year. Using leftover bits of fabric you can make these as whimsical or realistic as you choose. Pictured above we have made an aster on the left from scraps of 3 layers each of two shades of blue dotted Swiss and  pale pink chiffon. The Chrysanthemum on the right is made of 10 layers of the same pale pink chiffon.

I used a spool of thread to trace the circles onto the scraps of fabric for the aster using tailors chalk.

I found this flower pattern in a 1940's embroidery transfer envelope. The directions are pretty straightforward and I was able to make a flower in just a few minutes.  Download the instructions HERE and get busy making pretty flowers for your Easter bonnet. Prints on two 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper.

Free Pattern - Pretty Book Marks are Easy to Make

Easy to Make Book Marks

Time to raid your scrap bag again. These easy to make book marks use up the smallest bits of felt and make some sweet little book marks for your favorite book worm. From the March 1954 issue of Workbasket. Download instructions HERE.

Santa's Shortcuts - Christmas Eve Board Game

Santa's Shortcuts

My memories of Christmas Eve are ones of anxious anticipation. Suddenly we noticed the radio towers and the blinking red lights. That HAD to be Rudolph. We watched the weather reports with great interest. We were waiting, anxiously, for Santa and wondered what he would bring us. If you have little ones who anticipate Christmas morning like I once did, this is a fun game to play on Christmas Eve. Santa's Shortcuts, a boardgame from a 1963 publication from Oster, the originator of the Osterizer, is a fun game of the perils of 20th century travel via sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. Print out here and use buttons or coins as game pieces. Then send those little ones off to dreamland and Merry Christmas!

His and Hers Christmas Shopping Lists - Don't Guess - 1950's Measurement Chart

1957 Measurement Chart from Woman's Day Magazine

To kick off the start of the Holiday shopping season, the pattern sellers on Goodsmiths would like to start you off on the right foot with this retro measurement chart to help make shopping for that special him or her hassle free. Download and enter size, preferences such as perfume and favorite color, and don't forget what style type they are this year. Is he or she exotic? Distinguished? Tweedy or Casual? This 1957 chart from Woman's Day Magazine may be rather retro looking but I bet you will be surprised at just how handy having this information at your fingertips will be.